1. Technical Field
This invention relates in general to digital communications and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for announcing a communication request.
2. Description of the Related Art
Voice communication is the most common form of communication for both personal and private purposes. For many years the telephone has been the primary tool for voice communications. While efficient for communicating, the telephone can be distracting as well. Often, telephone calls are not answered because the receiving party is busy with another task, or is talking to another party.
Caller ID provides some information regarding the calling party. Some phones allow for different ring tones to be associated with different incoming numbers. While this may provide the receiving party with the identity of the caller, or the employer of the caller, it does not provide information regarding the nature of the call.
VOIP (voice over internet protocol) phones may provide additional information regarding the nature of the call in a “subject line” which is passed to the answering phone with the invite message. Also, additional “presence” information may be provided. However, this information is useful only if the receiving party can access the information. Accessing the information may not be practical in many situations, for example if the receiving party is in a meeting with someone else, or is driving a car. Further, if the receiving party is otherwise involved in work, he or she may not take the time to look at the information.
Therefore, a need has arisen for an improved method and apparatus for determining the nature of a communication request without interacting with the communication device at the moment of call notification.